1871 Indian Head Cent
Circulation strike struck at the Philadelphia Mint · 3,929,500 made
- Mintage
- 3,929,500
- Metal
- 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc
- Weight
- 3.11 g
- Diameter
- 19 mm
Original illustration. Tap to flip. Not a photograph of the actual coin.
Face value · Metal value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is an 1871 Indian Head Cent worth?
It's scarcer than a typical date, so even circulated examples sell above face. The best uncirculated coins are where the money is.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition with full original luster
- Full red copper color (labeled RD) rather than brown
- A die variety or minting error
- Certification by PCGS or NGC, which buyers expect for scarce dates
For market prices, check recent sold results for certified coins in the same grade.
Quick answers
- Is the 1871 Indian Head Cent rare?
- Somewhat. 3,929,500 were made, fewer than most dates, so collectors treat it as a semi-key.
- Where is the mint mark on an 1871 Indian Head Cent?
- No mint mark. Philadelphia struck every Indian cent until 1908.
- Which Philadelphia dates near 1871 are scarcer?
- None. Within five years either side, no Philadelphia issue had a smaller mintage than the 1871.
- How many 1871 Indian Head Cent coins were made?
- 3,929,500.
What to check on your 1871
- There's no mint mark on this one, so the date and condition are what matter.
- Proof or circulation strike? A proof has mirror-like fields and frosted design details and was sold to collectors, not released in change. The 1871 Indian Head Cent Proof (960 made) is the one to compare with.
- Old coins pick up damage over a long life. Look for holes, bends, scratches or signs of cleaning before you judge the grade, because a damaged coin sells for a fraction of a problem-free one.
- Judge the grade under good light. In Very Fine, all five letters of LIBERTY on the headband are visible; collectors also look at the feather tips and the "diamonds" on the ribbon. Color is graded too: Red (RD), Red-Brown (RB) and Brown (BN).
The story of the 1871
Output at Philadelphia slipped to 3,929,500 in 1871, from 5.3 million the year before. In 1872 the figure was 4 million.
No other mint struck it for circulation that year, so every 1871 you find is from Philadelphia. In the whole series, its mintage sits closest to the 1872 (4,042,000) and the 1870 (5,275,000).
Only the 1877 has a lower mintage among Philadelphia's 52 Indian Head Cents. Among the 1870s issues, only the 1877 had a smaller run.
Bronze cents and the L on the ribbon (1864 to 1872)
The popularity of thin bronze Civil War tokens showed that people would accept a lighter cent. The Act of April 22, 1864 changed the cent to bronze, cutting the weight from 4.67 to 3.11 grams. The Mint struck both copper-nickel and bronze cents that year. Later in 1864 Longacre added his initial L to the ribbon behind the neck. The 1864 bronze with L is a scarce variety.
Once the war ended, minor coins flooded back into circulation. An 1871 law let banks redeem surplus cents. Production fell from about 10 million in 1868 to just over 5 million in 1870 and about 4 million in 1871 and 1872, which makes those three dates scarce today. Bronze coins of this era tone from red to brown. Survivors with full diamonds and a complete LIBERTY are prized.
How to recognize it
Liberty wears a feathered headdress with LIBERTY on the band, surrounded by UNITED STATES OF AMERICA with the date below. The 1859 reverse is a laurel wreath around ONE CENT; from 1860 an oak wreath with a small shield at the top was used. Coins from 1864 on are bronze and from partway through 1864 they show the designer's initial L on the ribbon behind Liberty's neck. Mint marks (only S, 1908 and 1909) are below the wreath on the reverse.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Series | Indian Head Cent (1859–1909) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1871 |
| Mint | Philadelphia Mint |
| Mint mark | None |
| Strike type | Circulation strike |
| Mintage | 3,929,500 |
| Face value | 1¢ |
| Composition | 95% copper, 5% tin and zinc (bronze) |
| Weight | 3.11 grams |
| Diameter | 19 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Designer | James B. Longacre |
Other 1871 Indian Head Cent issues
| Coin | Mintage | Type | Silver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1871 Indian Head Cent | 3,929,500 | Circulation strike | – |
| 1871 Indian Head Cent Proof | 960 | Proof | – |
Mintage: United States cent mintage figures (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from US Mint records and the Guide Book of United States Coins. How we build these pages.